peters



FIFIIE,

JAMES P. MCLEAN, OF NEIN YORK, N. Y.

LIFE-BERTH FOR VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,258, dated December 7, 1858.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JAMES P. MCLEAN of NewYork city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certainnovel and useful Improvements in the Construction of a Life Berth orRaft for Ships, Steamboats, or other Vessels; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which are lettered to correspondwith the specification and constitute a part of the same.

' In order that the public may fully understand the nature of myinvention and those skilled in the art of manufacture be enabled toconstruct and operate the same I will de scribe it as follows.

Description.

Figure l, is a perspective view of the top and stanchions (A, A, A2,)which receive and support the life berths or rafts (B, B,) when used asan ordinary berth on board of ship for sleeping purposes.

Letter (B,) isa perspective view of my life berth, having the air andwater tight canvas joints removed in order to more clearly exhibit theoperation of the removable bed (0,) in the grooves (Gr, G, 02,03) Thehatch of locker (F,) and signal hatch (1),) have also been removed inorder to show the manner of stowing the oars and signal rods, alsoshowing the mode of securing the adjustable bed (0,) at either extremeupward or lower points (P, or P,) by means of a pin, or pins, passingthrough the bulk heads, or cross timbers at each end of the adjustablebed (0,).

Letter (B) represents a perspective view of the lower berth secured inthe stanchions by means of two keys (I, I,) which are attached to andsecured by a cord to the end of the stanchion as shown at (15,) is awater proof canvas joint firmly secured to the top and bottom edges ofthe sides and end lockers of the berths by means of hydraulic, glue, andcopper nails, or, any other suitable means as more clearly shown at Fig.(3,) letters (M, M, M,). These flexible oints merely serve to preventthe water from passing up around the edges of the adjustable orreciprocating bed (0,) when the berth is employed as a life raft;thereby keeping the occupant of the little craft dry, or at least frombeing submerged in water, which would be the case if the bert-h was usedas shown at (B,) without the canvas joint (E,)

All the hatches are secured by means of buttons, and hinges; and thejoints thereof are inlaid with cork as shown in the drawings therebyrendering them perfectly water tight.

The adjustable bed or bottom of the berth (0,) is made double so thatthere is suflicient room between the upper and lower bed to arrangethree or more air tubes, on each side of the berth and parallel to eachother, and to the sides of the berth; and secured in their places asshown in the drawings or by other means; each tube is about five feetlong and should be tightly plugged or sealed to prevent any escape ofair; they should be of sufficient capacity to contain two cubic feet ofair which would' be susceptible of keeping aioat seven hundred pounds,more or less in fresh water. These tubes and reciprocating bed or bottom(0,) I propose making of veneer, and canvas, after the fellowing`manner: Take a piece of veneer the desired width and length of a tube,steam it until it can be rolled around a stick, and when the edges arelapped and glued then give it a coat of hydraulic glue over the entireouter surface, then take a piece of cotton cloth and wrap around thetube, apply a coat of glue over the cloth, another layer of veneer andso on until you get any desired thickness.

It will be found that three layers of veneer and two of canvas, wellglued and doweled or pinned will be sufficiently strong for any ordinarypurpose and less liable to spring and get out of shape than any othermaterial of equal. weight. However I do not confine myself vto the abovedescribed alone, but I use that material which may be the mostconvenient for the time and place. Ordinary glue would not be suitablefor the aforesaid use 7; but should be prepared expressly for suchpurposes, and each individual part should be well doweled.

T here is sufficient, room between the two sets of air tubes to receiveand pack away two small oars, and a signal rod, which rod is madesimilar to an ordinary pencil case, so that the rod may be extended upthrough a sleeve or barrel ten or twelve feet more or less; this rod,and case,may also be employed as spars for lashing the life rafttogether (as shown at Fig. 3,) by means of the rings which are stronglysecured to each implements of navigation.

side of the berth and which rings serve to draw the berth out of thestanchions (A, A,) similar to a bureau drawer.

Fig. (2,) is a sectional drawing of my life raft, or berth, having theupper section or top of the bed (0,) removed, in order to show morefully the novel arrangement of the air tubes, signal rods, water tank,in compartment or locker (F,) and locker (F,) and pin (1),) witheccentric levers over the holes through which the pin passes whenrequired to secure the adjustable bed (C, C,) in its place against theaction of the sea.

Fig. 3, represents six berths as having been drawn out of the stanchions(A, A,) and cast upon the water, and there lashed together by means ofthe signal rods, or other spars, and ropes, as shown in the drawing;which drawing, also shows a transverse section of two of the berths at(M, M, M,) in order to more clearly set forth the arrangement of thewater proof canvas joint air tubes, and storage of the Y The oarcompartment between the sets of air tubes is air and water tight;consequently in case the adjustable bed (C, C,) should be too buoyantthe lower signal hatch may be tapped or opened, and the space betweenthe sets of air tubes will fill with water, and thus serve as aballastfor the little craft. Remove the keys (I, I,) Fig. 1, then drawthe berth (13,) (which weighs about forty pounds) by means of the ringsout of the stanchions (A A) provide yourself with rope if possible, tolash t-he spars (after you have flung the berth over board). In case youwish to form a universal raft by uniting a number of berths as shown atFig. 3, then let yourself down with as much care as possible upon eitherside of your little craft which forms a at bottom boat, or scow, eitherside up provided with the necessary implements of navigation and with asignal rod which may be employed as a signal or spars for lashing thelife raft together and by a little alteration may also be employed as amast and each end of the berth is divided in such a manner that it formsa locker susceptible of retaining a small can of water, and a supply ofprovisions, suliicient to sustain a person for a week or longer; andthus give him strength to navigate his raft until he is picked up or hasreached the shore in safety which wouldbe i the case on either lake orriver navigation; one end of the berth may be used as a locker for anyarticles of value, and would be found very useful either in the raft oron board of ship; and each berth may be provided with detached oar locksif necessary made to screw into the sides thereof.

The novelty of the above described apparatus does not consist in theconstruction of air tubes and compartments for saving life at sea, or onlake or river navigation, as those have been long in common use, but theapplication of a removable air and water tight bed secured in its placeby means of the projections of the bed (C C,) working in the grooves (G,G', G2, G93) in the sides of the berth which is provided with plates toprevent the projection of the bed (C, C,) from getting out of thegrooves aforesaid, and the use of a water proof canvas joint or jointsin combination with vthe arrangement of air tubes, so that each berthcan be provided with the implements of navigation, together with a watertank and locker, for the purpose of saving human life and property atsea, and which apparatus takes up no more room or storage of a ship (orother craft) than 'an ordinary berth, or bunk, and which is constructedlightly, but of strong material, and is susceptible of being drawn outand thrown over-board, there forming a raft, or boat either side up capable of carrying two persons for any length' of time, particularly onrivers or lakes, I be` lieve to be novel, and one of the most completeand practical life, and property saving apparatus, ever brought beforethe public.

I am aware that berths have been constructed to lift out of thestanchions like a tray, provided with cork and other buoyant materialplaced in the bottom of the inner berth or tray, but this is of littleuse, and entirely unmanageable if it falls bottom upward in the watertherefore I do not claim any thing of that kind, neither do I claim theapplication of air tubes for saving life nor the manner of drawing theberth out of the stanchions.

What I claim as novel, and what I wish to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is- The arrangement of the removable bed or bottom (C,0,) canvas joints (E, E,) ylockers (F, F,) oar and signal compartment(1),) air tubes, and the projections, grooves, and plates, (Gr, Gr, G2,G12) combined and operated in the manner and for the purposesubstantially as described and shown in the drawings.

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name in the presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES P. MCLEAN. Witnesses:

JOHN OAKEY, HmAu N. HUNT.

